Massacre Unchained

Many years ago, I was assigned to Izhevsk, an industrial city in Russia. The city was famous for manufacturing the AK 47 gun. Kalashnikov was born and raised in Izhevsk.

I am sure the story that follows is familiar to many who know me, but it bears repeating.

A young lady Razalia Gainullina (a Tarter) was assigned to be my interpreter. When I saw her, I noticed that her hair was not quite natural. One day I took courage and asked her whether she was wearing a wig or not. She said that she dyes her hair brown because she is totally gray. I was curious and she explained how she because prematurely gray.

During the Afghan war, the Russian government drafted many young people, many of them students. Her brother was 18 and in high school when he was sent to the battlefield. A few days later Razalia got a memo from the Army saying that her brother had been killed. When she woke up the next day after a night’s restless sleep, she noticed that her hair had gone completely gray.

I accepted the story because I had no reason not to, but it made me wonder. How is it possible!

Last week CNN also had a very disturbing story to tell. Bucha, a suburb of Kiev, has been totally decimated and many civilians killed. The advancing Russians pillaged and raped. One of the victims of rape was a young mother who has an eight-year old son. The rape was done by three soldiers in front of the boy, and by the time the soldiers left, the boy’s hair had gone completely gray.

I mention this now because Putin is seriously considering a draft and inevitably the draftees would be young people from high schools and colleges. Anyone over 18 is fair game. How many would have their hair turn gray by the time the massacre and destruction end?

I am sure you keep abreast of the atrocities being perpetrated by Russians. Besides killing innocent civilians, once the soldiers occupy a town or city, they go on a looting spree.

The news feed alerts us of the atrocities going on in Mariupol, Buch and such places. But have you heard of Nova Basan. Or Chernihiv? Probably not. Badly frightened and hungry, residents of  Nova Basan, a town east of Kiev, emerged from their cottages and farmhouses and described living through the terrifying ordeal of the Russian occupation—detentions, rape, threats to life—and a strict curfew that confined them to their homes with no outside communication for a month.

In Chernihiv officials buried hundreds of civilians in makeshift coffins and hastily dug trenches. The latest estimate of bodies in the mass grave is over 300.  But the people of Russia  have been convinced that it is all a fake, a cleverly staged event. Putin’s approval ratings stood at 83% last week! Russians are made to believe that it was Ukrainians that invaded Russia and who fired the first shot. The west are still pussyfooting about how best to deal with Russia. One thing is clear: the conflict will go on for many months to come. And the reconstruction? The cost? Who knows?

At some point in the tragedy, one of the lawmakers of Ukraine, while decrying the atrocities, said that the Russians are behaving like animals.

Sorry madam, I have to disagree with you. Animals do not kill another of the same kind. Sure, they have skirmishes, mostly about girlfriends. Not otherwise. Animals kill for food, and never due to politics.

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Say what?

On Thursday afternoon the Senate confirmed the appointment of Ketanji Brown Jackson, the first Black female judge to be appointed to the Supreme Court. It was a historic moment.

But earlier in the day Politico came with the following headline: “Jackson on the precipice of historic Supreme Court nomination”. Precipice? Like a very steep rock or cliff? Will she have a parachute when jumping off the cliff, wherever that is, into the hallowed chamber? I don’t think Clarence Thomas, who is the Sphynx on the bench, had to do it.

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Will Smith, the actor who showed the propensity to jump on the stage and slap the guest announcer during the Academy awards a few weeks ago, has been barred from attending the Oscars for 10 years. Couldn’t happen to a nicer bloke!

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“What’s in a name? That which we call a rose by any other name would smell just as sweet.” William Shakespeare uses this line in Romeo and Juliet to convey that the naming of things is irrelevant.

Regular readers of Subtext would know that I have a fascination with names. I occasionally publish ‘unusual’ names of people. I am fascinated by the names of products put in the market by pharmaceutical companies. Ingreeza,fasenra, farxiga, skyrizi to name a few. Of course, you knew that skyrizi  is really the patent name for Risankizumab-rzza, used for treating moderate to severe plaque psoriasis.

But Azo?

No, pilgrims, it is NOT what you think. Its generic name is Phenazopyridine It is a medicine for relieving symptoms caused by irritation of the urinary tract.

If you are a regular patron of CNN, you would have noticed that many of their sponsors come up with pharmaceutical products. That is material for a future blog.

Meanwhile let me share something that baffles me. I regularly see commercials promoting something called Tremfya, used for treating psoriasis. Why would the professional actor who promotes it pronounce it ‘tremfaya’? And why hasn’t someone corrected him?

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Jokers of the week.

Yes pilgrims. There are two this week. Before I announce the names let me say that there was some interest in the challenge I posed two weeks ago—identifying the Joker. Only two people had the correct answer—Lindsay Graham– and they will receive the gift I had promised: chicken curry and rice. Oops! Padmini, one of the winners, is a vegetarian. I will think up something else.

This week’s jokers are two senators, both of whom ran for President: Rand Paul of Kentucky and Lindsay Graham of S. Carlina. Yes, good old Lindsay again.

Around 2.13 on Thursday, the confirmation of Ketanji Brown Jackson took place. Rand Paul delayed the proceedings because he did not turn up for nearly 25 minutes. Finally, he voted from the cloak room, not in a suit. Lindsay Graham also shed his jacket in an act of protest. Glad that he stopped at the jacket and did not go any further!

It is generally understood that lawmakers try to placate their constituents by saying and doing things they do. The behavior of these two is a poor reflection of the voters in their respective states.

A&E Section

To take your mind off the sad, bad news of callous murder and destruction, here is something to make you feel good. Hopefully!!